Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Fresh Fiction

Trouble by Jesse Kellerman. The second novel by the progeny of Faye and Jonathan Kellerman. I cannot tell if Jesse wears eye make-up but it sure looks like his dad does.

Red River by Talita Tademy. Author of Cane River. Fictional telling of the Colfax "riot" and massacre in 1873 Colfax, LA. Told from both sides of the conflict over Reconstruction politics and the beginning of Jim Crow.

Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Rees. Omar Yussef has taught history for years and stayed aloof of the constant political violence in Bethlehem. After a former pupil is accused by Palestinian police of conspiring with the Israelis to kill a guerrilla, Omar is the only one who believes in his innocence and is willing to investigate against the wishes of the police and the killers of the a-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.

Murder Among the O.W.L.S. by Bill Crider. A Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery. Rural TX sheriff Dan Rhodes investigates the death of a member of the Older Women's Literary Society. Crider's Rhodes mysteries always have good humour with a sometimes flabbergasted, but always endearing, and Dr. Pepper drinking sheriff. I'm not sure how Crider has time to write novels with all the blogging he does.

Still Life with Husband by Lauren Fox. Milwaukee author Fox's book is "generous, heartfelt, and often hilarious novel of marriage and friendship" as Emily is aggravated by her husband Kevin and starts to desire David, a local reporter.

Fever Moon by Carolyn Haines. Haines is famous for her Souhtern set "cozy" mysteries. Fever Moon is a darker mystery set in New Iberia, LA during World War II where Adele Hebert claims to be a werewolf after being found covered in the blood, and hunched over the body, of a local plantation owner.

Terror by Dan Simmons. In 1845 126 men of the Franklin Expedition are enduring their second Arctic summer. Their ship is slowly being crushed by ice. The scientists and crew are fighting the cold and hunger. As the winter approaches an unseen predator is stalking them from the ice.

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. NFL superstar quarterback Dean is driving through rural Colorado when he stops to pick up a hitchhiker, Blue. This is a romance so I assume some sort of romance develops between the two.

Successor by Stephen Frey. Financier Christian Gillette is asked by the President to work with Cuban professionals to lead a capitalist revolution after Fidel died in secret. But, Gillette must work in secret, and has to be wary of competing attempts by would-be Cuba rulers.

Watchman by Robert Crais. Rich, spoiled girl Conner Barkley has an early morning auto accident in her Aston Martin. The crash puts Conner right in the middle of a federal investigation. When the government cannot protect her from the killers sent to silence her, her family calls in Joe Pike.

It's About Your Husband by Lauren Lipton. Freshly transplanted to New York, recent divorcee Iris Hedge is offered work to spy on a possibly cheating husband of a friend. But Iris starts to fall for the husband.

New NonFiction

More Travel Books? Yes.

Mobil Travel Guide: Northern Great Lake: Minnesota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Fodor's France, 2007.

Frommer's Caribbean, 2007.

Health

Breast Cancer: Real Questions, Real Answers by David Chan, M.D. "An easily navigated, completely current resource for all your questions."

Your Miraculous Back: A Step-By-Step Guide to Relieving Neck & Back Pain by Gerald Silverman, DC. "This book offers targeted massage techniques with a set of directed range-of-motion and stretching exercises that will bring relief to anyone suffering from persistent pain."

Best Life Diet by Bob Greene. A mix of diet recipes, diet advice and planning.

History and Biography

Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer by Maureen Ogle. Americans used to be rum and whiskey drinkers until German immigrants started to build the breweries they had back home. Slaughtered by Prohibition, brewing returned with innovation and evolved to the microbreweries of today; like the local guys.

US World War II Amphibious Tactics: Mediterranean & European Theaters by Gordon Rottman. Similar to the previous two history titles listed below, U.S. Marine Corps Raider 1942-42 and African American Soldier in the Civil War USCT 1862-66.

Rifles of the World, 3rd Edition: World's Definitive Guide to Centerfire & Rimfire Rifles
by John Walter. One of the best books I have bought in months.

Sesame Street Dad: Evolution of an Actor by Roscoe Orman. Orman has been Sesame Street's "Gordan" for three decades. Follow Roscoe through the evolution of Sesame Street, his theatre work, and his civil rights work.

Business and Education

Marketing Made Easy by Kevin Epstein.

Financing Your Business by Entrepeneur Press.

Accounting for Non-Accountants: the fast and easy way to learn the basics by Dr. Wayne Label, CPA.

Everything Managing People Book, 2nd Edition by Gary McClain.

Everything Accounting Book by Michele Cagan, C.P.A.

Master the ASVAB by Scott Ostrow. Practice exams, testing techniques, and a CD-ROM for practice.

Complete Idiot's Guide to Physics, 2nd Edition by Johnnie Dennis. "Concquer your fear of physics with clear concepts and dozens of practice problems." Or, read the book, skip the problems, and impress you friends with random mention of scientific facts.

McGraw Hill's Postal Exams 473/473-C by Mark Alan Stewart. Seven full length exams and hundreds of practice questions.

Arts and Entertainment

Doctor Who: The Inside Story by Gary Russell. The definitive guide to the making of the new series. Doctor Who nerds rejoice! Loads of color photos, episode summaries, production notes!

Acrylics Workshop: Simple Steps to Success by Phyllis McDowell. Tips and examples to help choose materials and learn techniques.

Complete Guide to making a Movie: low budget and beyond by Lorene Wales. Understand the whole production process, connection between budget and result, wardrobe, scripts, casting, sound, etc. CD-ROM included.

Complete Guide to...Anime Techniques: create memerizing manga-style animation with pencils, paint and pixels by Chi hang Li, et al.

Spanish

Amor por la Abuela by Chrys Howard.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

New NonFiction and a Large Print

Large Print

Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb. Lieutenant Eve Dallas investigates the murder of teacher Craig Foster after he is poisoned with Ricin.

NonFiction

Italy: DK Eyewitness travel guide edited by Fiona Wild. DK makes great travel guides.

The About.com guide to job searching : tools and tactics to help you get the job you want by Alison Doyle.

Extreme brewing : an enthusiast's guide to brewing craft beer at home by Sam Calagione. Calagione is the owner of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware and gives recipes, step-by-step instructions and more.

The Body Sculpting Bible for Men, Revised Edition and The Bible Sculpting Body for Women, Revised Edition by James Villepigue and Hugo Rivera. Revised editions of two excellent fitness guides. Both titles include an instructional DVD.

Succeed at Negotiating: effective techniques to secure the results you want by Ken Langdon. Another of the quick DK business guides we just received.

Monday, March 05, 2007

New NonFiction

Resumes for Mid-Career Job Changes, Third Edition edited by McGraw-Hill. Career changes to fit your job experience.

World's Greatest Aircraft by Christopher Chant and Michael J.H. Taylor. Illustration description of civil and military aircraft. A neat little book similar to a Jane's guide.

U.S. Marin Corps Raider 1942-42 by Ed Gilbert. A short well-illustrated book about the Marine raiders of World War Two. Covering equipment, training, recruiting, dress and weaponry, and battles.

African American Soldier in the Civil War USCT 1862-66 by Mark Lardas. Similar to the above Raiders book but focusing on the 200,000 black soldiers who served in the United States Colored Troops.

Suze Orman's Financial Guidebook: Put the 9 Steps to Work, 2nd edition. Suze Orman's latest edition of her "user-friendly, hands-on workbook that will empower you to work through the nuts and bolts of personal finance."


Northern Plains 2007: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming. Another travel collection update.

Magic of Alan Wakeling: The works of a master magician by Jim Steinmeyer. Wakeling not only was a famed stage performer but was a designer of "groundbreaking professional material" for famour magicians.

Getting Grants: the complete manual of proposal development and administration by Alexis Carter- Black. "The A to Z of securing grant funding." Deals with every step from identifying sources, pre-proposal planning, etc.

Knock-em Dead 2007: the ultimate job seeker's guide by Martin Yate. For entry-level and executive job seekers.

Understand Selling: Target customers, close deals, win new sales by Ken Langdon. A quick - 118 pages - instructional guide.

Spanish

El cuidado de su hijo pequeño : desde que nace hasta los cinco años by Shelov, Steven P. Child care guide to age five.

New DVD

Kids in the Hall, Seasons One and Two starring Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scoot Thompson. remember trying to catch this Canadian sketch comedy series on late night, weekend television? I do.

Fitzcarraldo starring Klaus Kinski. Another recent result of my Werner Herzog buying spree. A manic rubber baron in the Peruvian jungle has a massive, river steamboat towed and lifted over a mountaintop as part of his plan to build an opera house and lure Enrico Caruso to perform there.

During the Fitzcarraldo shoot, local indians offered to kill Kinski, Herzog said no, "I needed Kinski for a few more shots, so I turned them down. I have always regretted that I lost that opportunity."

Kinski wrote this about Herzog, "Herzog is a miserable, hateful, malevolent, avaricious, money-hungry, nasty, sadistic, treacherous, cowardly creep...he should be thrown alive to the crocodiles! An anaconda should strangle him slowly! A poisonous spider should sting him and paralyze his lungs! The most venomous serpent should bite him and make his brain explode! No panther claws should rip open his throat--that would be much too good for him! Huge red ants should piss into his lying eyes and gobble up his balls and his guts! He should catch the plague! Syphilis! Yellow fever! Leprosy! It's no use; the more I wish him the most gruesome deaths, the more he haunts me."

The Reading Room starring James Earl Jones, Tim Reid, Joanna Cassidy. Recent widower William follows his wife's wishes and uses his personal library collection to open a public reading room in a ghetto.

Scary Movie 4 starring Anna Ferris, Chris Elliott and multiple cameos. Series characters Cindy and Brenda try to stop an alien invasion.

Babel starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The Academy award nominated film. "A tragic accident in Morocco sets off a chain of events that will link four groups of people."

Scoop starring Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman. College journalist Sondra travels to London and hears a rich businessman may be a murderer. A Woody Allen comedy.

Dynamic:01 directed by David Lynch. Seven short films made by director David Lynch (Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks) for his subscription only website.

May starring Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris. A Horror movie. May was a social outcast as a child with just a doll for a friend. As a teen she meets and starts dating Adam. Adam is driven away by her weirdness and May becomes close with her co-worker Polly. After discovering Polly's flaws May decides to take the best parts of each and make her own best friend.

Yoga for Beginners. A yoga DVD? In the Lake Mills library?

Friday, March 02, 2007

New AudioBooks

Temperatures Rising by Sandra Brown. 5 CDs at 5.5 hours. Architectural engineer Scout falls for Chantal while working in her country.

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz. 8 CDs at 9.5 hours. Odd Thomas leaves his home town for the peaceful atmosphere of a high desert monastery. A killer is stalking the Brothers and Odd and the ghost of Elvis investigate.

New NonFiction

Fodor's Las Vegas 2007 edited by Sarah Sper. Latest edition.

Cheap Bastard's Guide to Chicago by Nadia Oehlsen. Think you have to earn big bucks to live big in the Windy City? Think again. Chicago is full of free and ridiculously cheap stuff - you just need to know where to look.

Off the Beaten Path: Florida by Diana and Bill Gleasner. A guide to unique places. Tired of the same old tourist traps? Take the road less traveled and discover the hidden attractions.

The "I Hate to Exercise" Book for People with Diabetes, 2nd Edition by Charlotte Hayes. You don't need fancy equipment, an expensive gym membership, or a rigid schedule. Stay active by making the most of the activities you already do.

Abuelos: Como Cumplir su Responsabilidad by Godfrey Harris.

Latest DVDs

Broken Flowers starring Bill Murray, Jessica Lange, Jeffrey Wright. Murray is an aging lothario who receives a letter saying he may have a 19 year old son from a previous relationship. A comedic search begins.

Little Dieter Needs to Fly directed by Werner Herzog. Dieter Dengler grew up in wartime Germany watching Allied planes bomb his country. Dieter emigrated to the States, joined the Navy, became a pilot, and was shot down in Laos in 1966. Held captive and tortured over several months Dieter escaped and his SOS signal was spotted by an American pilot. German documentarian Herzog took Dieter back to the Laotian jungle to interview him and even reenact his experience.

Chain of Fools starring Salma Hayek, Steve Zahn, David Cross, Lara Flynn Boyle. Yes, I bought this because it has Hayek and Zahn in it. A barber (Zahn) schemes to steal a fortune in rare coins and hide it from his would-be girlfriend, policewoman Hayek.

Missing, Presumed Dead directed by Bill Dumas. Bob Dumas has spent 50 years trying to find his brother Roger. Captured by the North Koreans, his family still thinks he is a POW. The film "reveals what the government really knows about missing soldiers from the Korean conflict and the reasons behind its unwillingness to bring them home."

The Thing starring Kurt Russell and Keith David. An Antarctic research station discovers a frozen alien that grows inside human bodies. An excellent 1982 picture from director John Carpenter. For those of you who get them confused, Keith David is the tall, black actor. David Keith is the tall, white actor and two years older than Keith David.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

New NonFiction

New NonFiction

How to Say It: Persuasive Presentations
by Jeffrey Jacobi. "Transform yourself into a dynamic speaker who engages and inspires listeners and gets the message across."

How to Say It: Performance Reviews by Meryl Runion and Janelle Brittain. "Performance reviews can be transformed from a perfunctory and stressful corporate ritual in to a powerful, positive, and effective tool for both employers and employees."

A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military by Barbara Schading, Ph.D. Ever watch the nightly news and think "Huh? What?" Well in this book Schading "decodes each branch in simple terms you can understand."

Secrets of Successful Buying and Selling on eBay by Roger Shaw. Beginner's basics full of tips and tricks and step-by-step instructions.

Painless Algebra by Lynette Long, Ph.D. "If you think algebra is both dull and difficult, open this book - and think again!" Try it out and feel your brain working. I'm serious, blood will flow to areas of your brain that do not normally get a workout.

The Medical Science of House, M.D. by Andrew Holz. Is the television show House built on fact of fiction?

Fodor's Puerto Rico, 4th Edition edited by Douglas Stallings. Another travel section update.

Hidden New York: A Guide to Places that Matter by Marci Reaven and Steve Zeitlin. Yeah, another travel section update, with a picture of an elephant on the front/

Spanish Language

Como Iniciar su Propio Negocio by Mark Warda.

Sta. Maria Magdalena: Una Vision Gnostia de la Novia Sagrada by Tau Malachi.